The NHL free agency season is full of dramatic storylines. Lately, the one plot that has been attracting considerable discourse revolves around the fate of the Vancouver Canucks captain and cornerstone, Quinn Hughes. Will Hughes continue his long-term run with the team, or is he bound elsewhere?
The 25-year-old, drafted seventh overall by the Canucks in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, has had the most impressive career. He has accumulated 409 points in 433 regular-season games and 26 more in 30 playoff games.
Why Should the Canucks Be Worried About Losing Quinn Hughes?
However, rumors are now running amok that the defenseman might join his brothers Luke Hughes and Jack Hughes to join the ranks of the New Jersey Devils in 2027 after his current contract with the Canucks expires.
NHL insider Greg Wyshynski weighed in on the issue: letting Hughes walk away is bad news for the Canucks.
Greg Wyshynski Believes the Vancouver Canucks Should Urgently Strike a Deal with Quinn Hughes
Hughes is coming off an incredible season. Although the Canucks occupied the fifth position in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference and failed to make the playoffs, at a personal level, the standout defenseman scored 76 points in 68 regular-season games; his performance the past season is the second-best of his career.
It comes as no surprise that Wyshynski stated that the Canucks must exercise every form of urgency to retain the franchise cornerstone.
“It’d be insane to let him walk; you could see the situation becoming like a Matthew Tkachuk, where…you know where it’s all headed…and make a deal before he leaves for nothing; it kind of feels like it’s trending that direction,” Wyshinski wrote.
Greg Wyshynski: Re Quinn Hughes: It’d be insane to let him walk; you could see the situation becoming like a Matthew Tkachuk, where…you know where it’s all headed…and make a deal before he leaves for nothing; it kind of feels like it’s trending that direction – Big Show
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 10, 2025
According to Wyshynski, there is a precedent for the situation that Hughes and the Canucks are undergoing.
What Does the Matthew Tkachuk Comparison Mean for Vancouver?
When Matthew Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in 2022. According to a Sportsnet article, three years of thought backed Tkachuk’s decision to leave the Calgary Flames.
Tkachuk clarified his position in his first interview with Sportsnet.ca after the big trade. “…when he put his signature on his three-year bridge deal in 2019, he always knew there was a chance at its conclusion it would be time to leave.”
Quinn Hughes is currently on a six-year, $47.1 million contract with the Canucks, bearing a cap hit of $7.85 million. The deal came into force in 2021 and is valid until 2027. After his contract expires and Hughes becomes an unrestricted free agent, there is no saying that he wouldn’t want to join his brothers in the Devils.
Even without Wyshynski’s reminder of Hughes’ value, the Canucks are sufficiently aware of the defenseman’s worth. Jim Rutherford, President of President of Hockey Operations, reiterated Hughes’ centrality to the Vancouver outfit. ”
“This franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes,” but he also adds that there is little the team can do to prevent Hughes from doing what he wants. “We will do everything we can to keep him here, but at the end of the day, it’ll be his decision.”
For now, Hughes is with the Canucks. But for how long, is yet to be known.
